If you know me, you know that my answer is almost always, "to run." But what about this weekend? I've been training for the Ogden Marathon since January. I've done my speed work consistently, run all of my long runs, been out there pounding the pavement to the tune of about fifty miles a week. Then, on Saturday night, I came down with a scratchy throat. By Sunday it was a full-blown sore throat. Yesterday and today my face and head and nose have been so clogged I can hardly breathe. I went for a run yesterday and felt terrible, and shivered through most of the day. So what's a girl to do?
I could run. I've run sick before (my first marathon, when I wanted to DIE during the entire second half). I'm pretty confident that even with a raging head cold, I could finish. But is it really about finishing anymore? I've finished seven marathons. The last two have been disappointing, because I haven't done as well as I thought I could. If I run sick, this one is also likely to be an underwhelming finish. Is it worth it to wake up at 3:30am to run 26 miles when I'm sick? I'm not sure. I hate being a quitter. It's not in my nature. If I were giving someone else advice for the race, I'd probably tell them not to run, to bag it, rest, and focus on St. George instead. Why is it so hard for me to give myself the same advice?
3 comments:
Because for some reason, we always assign others more worth and virtue than we do ourselves.
Finishing seven marathons puts you at a higher status, in my 20-years-removed-from-running-and-thanks-for-the-ruined-knees opinion. You get to pick and choose your marathons and the conditions in which you will run them. Inclement weather? Challenging, but doable and usually memorable. Illness? Seriously, let this one go and, and you said, focus on the next one.
I'm not in the same place you are, but I would run it. I guess if you are still feeling the same way Friday then I'd say, skip it, it's just another race. But I love races and I'm not really that attached to times right now. I say, if you would tell another person to skip it, then it's ok to tell yourself that too :)
My vote? Decide on Friday night. Erik and a friend will be driving up Saturday morning if you want to hitch a ride. At least you could sleep in the car.
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